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Doctor Yin Hsieh: Father of the Largest Bioweapons Program in the Western Hemisphere

Dr. Yin Hsieh arrived in the Dominican Republic during a turbulent period: the country had just been invaded by the United States the same year, and communist guerrillas sympathetic to Cuba were actively plotting to overthrow the government.

Dr. Hsieh is perhaps best know for developing an extensive list of different rice varieties, and his contributions to genetics are accredited with helping the Caribbean country gain self-sufficiency in rice production, but his main job for the Dominican government has been aiding in the development of the nation's biological weapons, a closely guarded secret which has only come to light within the past year.

According to the China Post, Joaquin Balaguer, the former vice-president to Dictator Rafael Trujillo and subsequent strongman after his death, personally asked Mr. Hsieh to remain in the Dominican Republic and help the country in its development of a genetics program.

Mr. Hsieh's contributions to genetics sparked an entire industry in the Dominican Republic, and he is reported to have "educated several generations of Dominican professionals, who are now working in companies, research institutes, and universities."

As Wikileaks revealed, the President of the Dominican Republic is not fully in control, and if he attempts to remove some of the country's generals, he could face a coup. In essence, the military rules the country behind the scenes, without needing to directly deploy force, but merely by threatening to do so and carrying out targeted assassinations to send a message.

The Dominican military is extremely secretive and hierarchical, and generals are likely to show more deference to Mr. Hsieh than to someone they may see as a political newcomer. The older generals see youth as a liability, and any young politicians cannot gain legitimacy unless approved by the upper ranks.

Due to his high-level appointment more than half a century ago by the late Joaquin Balaguer, the world's only blind, octogenarian strongman, Mr. Hsieh is rumored to exert more influence over the military than the country's appointed leaders. A suspicious fire in 2010 is rumored to have destroyed 22 years of his work, but it was most likely a weak attempt at a cover-up by the Dominican government.

Dominican roads are notoriously unsafe, and the government is recklessly endangering the lives of people by transporting biological weapons around the island. The slightest accident could lead to a catastrophe of unforeseen proportions in the Western Hemisphere.